Stop Running on Talent. Start Owning the System.
F&B clubs depend on a single Executive Chef. When that chef leaves, the systems, knowledge, and results often leave too. Lao Group builds a club-owned operating system that preserves institutional knowledge, ensures consistency, and protects your club’s long-term value—regardless of staffing changes.
The Executive Chef Role Is Broken and Needs to Be Redefined.
The problem isn’t the Chef. It’s the Role.
Today’s Executive Chefs are expected to do everything—create great food, manage people, control costs, train staff, solve problems, and run the operation. Very few people can do all of this well at the same time.
Because of this, most chefs spend their days putting out fires instead of doing what they were hired to do: create great food and memorable experiences. This hurts the staff, frustrates guests, and impacts the bottom line.
What This Leads To:
- Food quality that goes up and down
- Higher labor and food costs
- Burned-out leaders
- Starting over every time a chef leaves
The Real Issue:
The operation depends on people instead of a system. Without clear processes in place, every leadership change sends the kitchen back to square one—and the same problems repeat again and again.
The "Day Zero" Cycle
Member Satisfaction Over Time
Internal Asset
The Kitchen Fragility
Scorecard
Governance • Continuity • Financial Control • Standardized Execution
Complimentary Audit
You cannot solve a governance failure with a better recipe.
Do you own your F&B operation, or are you just renting it from your current staff? Download our 20-point fragility scorecard to identify the single points of failure in your kitchen.
By requesting the scorecard, you agree to receive our brief monthly brief on systems-based culinary leadership.
The Path to Stability
We build a clear framework so the operation doesn’t live inside one person’s head. Instead of the chef being the system, the Menu becomes the system—a modern evolution of the Escoffier Brigade principles designed for the 21st-century club.
The Menu-Centric Operating System
1. The Systems Audit
We identify the single points of failure in your current kitchen architecture.
2. Custom
Implementation
We identify the single points of failure in your current kitchen architecture.
3. Sustained Excellence
We identify the single points of failure in your current kitchen architecture.
One System That Aligns Culinary Vision With Business Performance.
SAFE
Popular menu items are made the same way every time—so quality stays high and costs stay under control.
SEASONAL
Seasonal and local storytelling are planned into the system—so menus stay fresh without creating stress or waste.
WOW
Creativity is encouraged—but it’s organized, documented, measured and repeatable. No last-minute scrambling or “hero” saves required.
The "MFA" Effect
Compounding Value Over Time
Measurable Performance From a Fully Implemented System.
- 25% Labor Efficiency: Less overtime and fewer wasted hours through structured production schedules.
- 15% Food Cost Control: Fewer surprises and less waste through menu-driven purchasing logic.
- 20% Lower Turnover: Clear expectations and better training lead to more confident, stable teams.
- 98% Execution Accuracy: Members and guests receive the same elite experience every visit.
*Real examples and case studies are available upon request.
What People Are Saying
“Our restaurant is back. The experience is consistent again.”
Club Member
“Our Chef is now operating strategically, and our board discussions have shifted from firefighting to planning.”
General Manager
“I now manage performance through a documented system instead of managing personalities.”
Food & Beverage Director
Client references available upon request, subject to approval.
This Is an Investment in Performance, Not an Operating Expense.
A Menu-Centric Operating System generates enterprise-level returns by reducing risk and building long-term value.
- Eliminate Waste: Reduce food waste by $60k–$100k through precision prep and purchasing.
- Protect the Asset: Capture your club’s institutional memory so you never have to "start over."
- Growth Over Emergencies: Transition your leadership from daily survival to strategic growth.
Stability Through Structure
Lao Group was founded by Bonita Lao to solve a critical challenge for hospitality organizations: running food & beverage operations with clarity, consistency, and profitability.
A chef and entrepreneur who has owned both a catering company and a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Bonita brings firsthand experience in kitchen operations and business management.
Using her proprietary Menu Focused Approach (MFA), she has helped restaurants, resorts, and private clubs stabilize operations, turn around a $1M loss, increase revenue, reduce waste, and integrate structured processes that move teams from ad hoc decisions to systems-driven operations. Bonita partners with leadership to implement frameworks, processes, and accountability structures that deliver lasting results.
“I help private clubs and resorts implement a Menu-Centric Operating System that aligns brand promise, culinary leadership, and operational execution—so teams perform consistently and boards can plan with confidence.”
Bonita Lao | Systems Architect for Food & Beverage Operations